Croatia, Romania Closer to NATO Alliance Invite and the Nukes?

  

Croatia and Romania share a similar vision on most European issues, including enlargement and the eastern partnership, according to the countries’ foreign ministers, who met in Bucharest yesterday (14 March). EURACTIV Romania reports.

Croatian minister Davor Ivo Stier and his Romanian counterpart, Teodor Meleșcanu, spoke about further EU enlargement, the future of the bloc and the situation in Ukraine in a meeting in the Romanian capital on Tuesday.

The two foreign affairs chiefs also discussed bilateral cooperation within the framework of the European Union and NATO, as well as their forthcoming stints at the helm of the EU’s rotating presidency.

Romania and Croatia will both hold the presidency for the first time in 2019 and 2020, respectively, as part of the same “trio”, sandwiching Finland, which will hold the presidency for the first time since 2006.

Croatia inches closer to Schengen membership

The European Commission on Wednesday (18 January) proposed the gradual integration of Croatia into the Schengen Information System (SIS), bringing the newest EU member state slightly closer to full membership of the EU borderless area.

Meleșcanu said there is a common interest in “anchoring the region irrevocably and irreversibly on the European path”.

He added that “there is huge potential for further cooperation. Romania and Croatia have similar views on most European issues, especially under the current conditions, as well as the future of the European project itself”.

Moldova and the Ukraine crisis were also on the agenda and Romania’s foreign minister, in agreement with his Croatian colleague, insisted that “the importance and need is for the full implementation of the Minsk agreement”.

Both ministers said they share “views about the eastern partnership and how to bring these countries (closer) to” Europe.

Moldova balks at idea of closer NATO ties

Pro-Russian President of Moldova Igor Dodon yesterday (7 February) warned NATO that the closer ties it seeks with his strategically placed country could undermine its neutrality and threaten its security.

Stier revealed that his visit is the first of a number of trips that will seek to strengthen bilateral ties and he said that the country’s president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, “will visit”.

He added that the two countries’ period holding the rotating presidency will be “challenging” and that “we must support the EU’s enlargement policy”.

Stier also spoke about a number of bilateral agreements including a cooperation agreement and a memorandum of understanding on NATO defence. He also said that there are plans to work together in the Danube port of Constanta.

Nukes Out of Turkey to Romania (last summer of 2016)

 Two independent sources told EURACTIV.com that the US has started transferring nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey to Romania, against the background of worsening relations between Washington and Ankara.
According to one of the sources, the transfer has been very challenging in technical and political terms.
“It’s not easy to move 20+ nukes,” said the source, on conditions of anonymity.
According to a recent report by the Simson Center, since the Cold War, some 50 US tactical nuclear weapons have been stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, approximately 100 kilometres from the Syrian border.

Most Americans don’t know this fact but many will be surprised when and if they find out. Turkey has been a bad partner in both NATO with the US and EU with its European partners. This has been traditionally and historically been “Turkey”which has been in a backwards spiral on Human Rights particularly in the  LGBT community. EU rules stipulates not only a good human rights record but same sex unions or marriage. On the NATO front again Turkey has been an impediment to NATO needs dealing with the far east and Russia. Many times flights on US or NATO missions had to be rearranged to not enter their airspace because they would not clear them. Same has been on the ground on the fight against ISIS in Syria. On this front they have been Johnny come lately and only because they and no choice being inundated with Syrian refugees and attacks by ISIS on their Eastern front.

It was to be an expected change of NATO nuke policy for some time. Turkey was the partner no body wanted because it could not be counted on but at the time there was no body else that could take its place. Turkey has always acted for Turkey and that is great unless you enter into alliances in which an attack on one is an attack for all. They signed the document but it looked like they looked the other way on those tricky parts of helping each other out in times of difficulty.

The missiles have been there since the Kennedy administration and it always been a sour point with Russia. It was the break of the Soviet Union that has given the West choices though it has antagonized Moscow from one time having these countries serve as satellites of the Soviets to now being surrounded with nations that have missiles pointed at them to stop a Croatian-Georgia like invasion by the Russians with a promised of NATO to come to their help.

Now you can see why Turkey and Russia wanted to have eyes, ears and moving lips in no other place but the Oval office of the White House. What they misjudged  with Flynn who was getting money from both the Russians and the Turks,  its something the old Soviets were good at and that is secrecy. They went about in an open way for this stuff but Im sure there are other hungry palms that wont think twice to helping out someone who at the moment we are not at war with. Usually the oily field of candidates can be found in the Love America first fellows among others.

Adam Gonzalez
adamfoxie blog